Age of cheap flights to end, airline boss predicts

"The golden age of UK air travel is over, with airline revenue plummeting, passenger disenchantment rising, and fares poised to soar, according to Monarch Airlines managing director Tim Jeans."

So says an article in travel trade publication Travel Weekly.

According to the paper, Jeans told a Chartered Institute of Marketing Travel Industry Group seminar in London that the industry is undergoing a change. "Tax on air travel will only go up. Emissions trading will only send fares higher. We may well have seen the peak of our industry." he said.

Jeans added: "The flying experience has got worse and is unacceptable for most people. The industry has not helped with the additional charges it has poured in. Where people have a choice of ways to travel, flying is last on their list."

Travel Weekly's article, by Ian Taylor, also quotes The Co-operative Travel Group managing director Mike Greenacre, who said: "Too many companies in our industry continue to bury their heads in the sand regarding climate change. There is going to be much more focus on climate. It is going to be at the centre of all our decisions."